Review + GIVEAWAY: A Name Unknown

A Name Unknown
By Roseanna M. White
Shadows Over England #1
Bethany House, 2017


Summary

She's out to steal his name. Will he steal her heart instead?

Rosemary Gresham has no family beyond the band of former urchins that helped her survive as a girl in the mean streets of London. Grown now, they are no longer pickpockets-now they focus on high value items and have learned how to blend into upper-class society. Rosemary's challenge of a lifetime comes when she's assigned to determine whether a certain wealthy gentleman is loyal to Britain or to Germany. How does one steal a family's history, their very name?

Rumors swirl around Peter Holstein. Awkward and solitary, but with access to the king, many fear his influence. But Peter can't help his German last name and wants to prove his loyalty to the crown-so he can go back to anonymously writing a series of popular adventure novels. When Rosemary arrives on his doorstop pretending to be a well- credentialed historian, Peter believes she's the right person to help him dig through his family's past.

Anger and danger continue to mount, though, and both realize they're in a race against time to discover the truth-about Peter's past and about the undeniable attraction kindling between them.

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My thoughts

I have enjoyed several of Roseanna M. White’s excellent novels, but there is that intangible “something” that sets A Name Unknown apart for me. Sometimes a story simply resonates in a special way … maybe it has something to do with how the setting (Cornwall), characters (fascinating and complex), storyline, and spiritual theme all blend together. Whatever the reason, I loved A Name Unknown and am excited about the whole Shadows Over England series. I believe these stories wonderfully reflect the author’s God-given creativity.

Cornwall Coast

For someone who loves British settings as much as I do, it doesn’t get much better than the rugged, majestic coast of Cornwall, which is vividly conveyed. And then there’s the hero and heroine, Peter and Rosemary – so real, sympathetic and endearing. Honestly, could there be two more opposite characters? Peter is kind, good, with a great sense of humor, and he stutters! Rosemary is a Cockney girl who became a thief in order to survive, and acquired a unique “family” in the process (I’m already in love with Willa and look forward to her story). Peter, with German family connections, faces doubts as to where his loyalty lies – and Rosemary is out to steal that name. Peter is a believer, and applies those beliefs to his daily life. Rosemary believes in a God who doesn’t hear.

Avid readers will love that Peter is a writer, with a totally messed up home library that Rosemary is hired to organize. Just imagine this … “Shelves lined the walls, floor to towering ceiling. Lined with books, all of them. Then with books stacked in front of them. Books stacked on the floor. Books stacked on the chairs, the tables, lining the windowsills. Boxes of them. Random cases of them at odd places.”

Rich in historical detail and accuracy, the pre-World War I years make a fascinating backdrop for this story. Peter and Rosemary are compelling characters with great chemistry between them. Best of all is how Peter shares his faith and the growth we see in Rosemary. I enjoyed A Name Unknown so much and hated to reach the last page.

Highly recommended.

I was provided a free copy of this book through Litfuse Publicity. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

http://litfusegroup.com/author/RWhite

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Roseanna M. White pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself.

Roseanna is the author of over a dozen historical novels and novellas, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to her British series. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to make their way into her novels . . . to offset her real life, which is blessedly boring. She passes said boring life with her husband and kids in the beautiful mountains of eastern West Virginia.

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GIVEAWAY

A special thank you to Litfuse Publicity and Bethany House for making this giveaway possible.

To enter the drawing, please click on this link and share my Facebook post, then leave a comment here. If you’ve enjoyed any of Roseanna’s books and maybe have a favorite, please share. (It was the first Culper Ring novel, Ring of Secrets, that drew me to Roseanna’s writing.)

BE SURE to leave your name and your email address in a safe format - [at] and [dot] - for the drawing. E-mail required for entry. Contest ends at midnight PST on August 27, 2017. Winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted by e-mail.

Eligibility: US residents